Published: July 10, 2009 10:05 am      

Laurel County Fair 2009

The Kent family clan performs at Laurel County Fair

If you go...

WHAT: Laurel County Fair

WHERE: Fairgrounds, on KY 229 south of London

WHEN: Continues from 5:30-11 p.m. Friday and noon to 11 p.m. Saturday

HOW MUCH: $8 per person without rides, or $10 per person with

unlimited carnival rides

MORE INFO: Visit www.laurelcountyfair.com

By Samantha Swindler

Managing Editor

While her father is blowing fireballs, the youngest of the Kent family clan, Princess Olivia, hangs around off-stage with a ball python wrapped around her small shoulders.

The little girl is 3.

The python’s name is Buttercup.

And the Kents are simply fascinating.

If you go to the Laurel County Fair this year — and I highly recommend you do —  make sure you catch the Kent Family Magic Circus.

After Wednesday evening’s show — to an unusually subdued crowd — Victor Kent, father of the troop, said he never lets the family complain for more than 10 minutes after a bad show. Nor do they laud themselves for more than 10 minutes after a good one.

But Wednesday’s show wasn’t bad. It was great. The performance included fire-swallowing, juggling, whip tricks and a few magician standards — doves and rabbits that appear from nowhere, and a lady sawed in half.

I told Victor it’s hard to compete with a beauty pageant, a truck pull, and numerous local churches — Wednesday is a tough night.

Victor wasn’t concerned. He’s done all this before.

The Kents hail from California, but they spend nearly the entire year on the road, performing more than 350 shows annually while touring in two passenger vans across the country.

Victor Kent always had a fascination with magic. And while in college majoring in Japanese, he met Mami, an exchange student from Japan.

They hit it off and were married two years later. The couple — and their growing number of children — lived and performed in Japan until moving back to California in 1995. Over the years, their children became a part of Victor’s act and transformed it from a traditional magic show to a circus of the performing arts.

Six of the seven Kent children perform with the circus — Indiana Miles, who uses a whip; Cynthia, who gets cut in half; Victor Jr., the escape artist; Jugglin’ Jim, whose talent is obvious; and the two youngest daughters, Amelia and Olivia.

Sitting at the edge of the stage after Wednesday evening’s performance, Victor talks about how his wife needed an emergency C-section when Amelia was born because the baby kept twisting positions during delivery. Victor joked she was a born contortionist — but in fact, Amelia, age 6, claims to be able to read minds. After the show, she’s sitting in her father’s lap. My friend Charity —  who now accompanies me annually to the fair — asks, “What am I thinking now?”

Amelia smiles and says coyly, “nothing.”

I don’t know, she might be on to something...

The fair runs through Saturday at the Laurel County Fairgrounds off KY 229 near London. For a complete schedule of events, visit www.laurelcountyfair.com/schedule.htm.